Every year the Devon Air Ambulance carries more than fifteen hundred ill and injured patients from all parts of Devon.    For the past 18 months BBC Radio Devon's Michael Chequer has been flying with the North Devon aircrew based near Winkleigh.  His reports have given the people of Devon a better understanding of the life saving work the Air Ambulance crews carry out each day of the year.  Michael has also caught up with more patients who were only too willing to recount their story to help the Appeal and the Charity.

Freddie's Christmas Story


Ben's Story
On the first day of their holiday in Illfracombe, Devon, Ben, was eager to see the sea.  Running from a cafe, Ben ran straight into the path of a moving double decker bus. His life was hanging in balance with all emergency services working together to release him.  Once free,Ben was flown directly to Derriford, later being transferred to Frenchay for further specialist treatment.  BBC Radio Devon's Michael Chequer caught up with Ben and his mum Lynne at an emotional reunion with the paramedics who helped save his life.



Jen's Story



Bernard's Story (Three Parts)
A North Devon man says he owes his life to the Devon Air Ambulance - and ground-breaking surgery first pioneered at the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital.  Angioplasty - feeding a tiny tube into a blocked blood vessel and inflating a miniature balloon to expand its walls - had previously been used to help patients with Angina.

But a decade ago surgeons in Exeter were amongst the first in the world to discover that it could also be used to save the lives of patients in the process of having a heart attack. That's what happened to Bernard from South Molton just eight days ago (from when this piece was recorded) and Michael Chequer was with Devon Air Ambulance when the call came through to say he needed urgent help ....



A North Devon man's been telling BBC Radio Devon that he owes his life to a ground-breaking medical techique first pioneered at the Royal Devon & Exeter Hospital.

Eight days ago Bernard had a heart attack.  He was rushed from South Molton to the RD&E in just 10 minutes by Air Ambulance - then whilst the heart attack was still happening, docotros inserted wires into an artery to clear the blockage. The consultant Bernard says he owes his life to is Andrew Sharp .....

Angioplasty is feeding a tiny tube into a blocked blood vessel and inflating a miniature balloon to expand its walls.  It had been previously used to help oatients with Angina.  Surgeons in Exeter however discovered that it could also be used to save the lives of patients in the process of having a heart attack. That's what happened to Bernard ....



Helicopter Stand Down - Bampton
When the phone rings with news that an elderly man's collapsed and is foaming at the mouth on the fringes of Exmoor the first instinct of paramedics working on the Devon Air Ambulance is to get there fast.

But what should have been a straightforward mission of mercy yesterday became a battle with the elements.
BBC Radio Devon's Michael Chequer was there...

Gary

When Gary was taken ill and collapsed at work in Great Torrington he and his friends thought it was an asthma attack.  But a paramedic from the Devon Air Ambulance spotted something different about his heartbeat ... and he was rushed to hospital in Exeter with a rare form of heart disease.  Now back at home in South Molton, he's been telling Michael Chequer his story...

Mary

A Devon woman who was airlifted to hospital after smashing both of her wrists has found a novel way of repaying her debt to the Air Ambulance.  Just weeks after the accident which left her unable to use either of her hands Mary will tonight be singing soprano in a concert by the Dunsford Singers.  I've been to meet her at her home in Doddiscombleigh in the Teign Valley...

Elouise's Story by mum Emma

A Devon mum whose baby daughter was airlifted to hospital after being taken ill on a seaside holiday says she owes a huge debt to the Devon Air Ambulance.  Michael Chequer's been to meet Emma Powlesland who needed their help when she was on holiday in Widemouth Bay.

We also have Glenn Birtwistle talking about that rescue

Annie

None of us want to think we'll have to call on the Devon Air Ambulance but listen up as what I'm about to say may surprise you.  Nearly half the call outs are to people who've injured themselves when they've been taking part in sport or leisure activities.  Some of the most serious injuries happen when people fall from horses.
But when Annie from Christow went out for a ride on her horse Kissy she couldn't have dreamed that it would end with her being rushed to hospital after an accident that came within an inch of leaving her paralysed for life.

Bridget's Family

To witness your daughter injured so badly that she needs the services of the Devon Air Ambulance must be a horrific experience.  But when lightning strikes twice in the same family the emotional trauma must be almost beyond belief.  That's exactly what happened though to Bridget's family who live near Holsworthy, as mum Bridget and daughter Danielle have been telling me....

Folk Relief

On 18 and 19 February Folk Relief a 24 hour on air marathon of live music and chat took to the airwaves to raise funds for the Devon Air Ambulance Appeal.  At approximately 7.10am the first airing of the next interview was played.  The donation lines started ringing and didn't stop until the end of the 24 hours.  Take a listen and you will understand why...

Ben's Story

Ben was just eight years old when he was travelling with his dad in the cab of their tractor on Haldon Hill.
Michael Chequer talked to him and his mum Judith at their home in Dunchideock about the accident that could have claimed his life...

Since Ben's accident he and his family have done a huge amount of fundraising for Devon Air Ambulance. Mum Judith is about have her very long hair cut short in aid of the charity ... and Ben and his brothers have gone without birthday presents ... instead asking for donations to the Appeal. Thank you to Ben and his brothers.

Sally's Story

Sally was airlifted to hospital but still has no idea what happened to her. She lives at Black Torrington and works in Beaford was found by her husband who dialled 999 and was then taken by the Devon Air Ambulance to the Royal Devon and Exeter.  Weeks later, when she spoke to Michael Chequer, the exact nature of her accident remains a mystery

Bridget's Two Children Airlifted

To witness your daughter injured so badly that she needs the services of the Devon Air Ambulance must be a horrific experience. But when lightning strikes twice in the same family the emotional trauma must be almost beyond belief. That's exactly what happened though to the Millman family who live near Holsworthy, as mum Bridget and daughter Danielle explained to BBC Radio Devon

Ron's Story

When Ron from Pyworthy was badly injured in a fall at the old Buckfastleigh racecourse there was very little medical care available.  But he survived ... And when he collapsed at home with a suspected perforated bowel twenty first century medical technology was on hand to make sure he again survived to tell the tale.

Michael met with Ron and his wife Sue

In the last year we've heard a lot about the lifesaving work carried out on a daily basis by the paramedics of the Devon Air Ambulance. But if it wasn't for the pilots who fly the helicopters the service wouldn't be able to operate. Many of them are ex-military, and all can fly in conditions that would be far beyond the average amateur pilot ... as one man from the South Hams has witnessed in the last few days.  Michael was at home near Kingsbridge when his day took a turn for the worse

Clare's airlift and Russell Watson

He's sold millions of albums, topped the charts in the UK and in America, and now he's coming here to raise money for the BBC Radio Devon Air Ambulance Appeal.  Russell Watson is playing at the Castle Hill Estate near South Molton on 9 July.  It's the home of the Earl and Countess of Arran ... And the workplace of Clare.  She works in the estate office and has two very good reasons to  support the Devon Air Ambulance

Kate is airfifted three times

To need to call on the services of the Devon Air Ambulance once in a lifetime is one thing. To need it twice is remarkable. But to be airlifted three times in the space of a couple of years is quite extraordinary.

But that's what's happened to one woman from Chawleigh in North Devon. Happily now on the mend after a major heart attack, Kate is backing BBC Radio Devon's appeal to buy and equip a brand new helicopter for the county

Ryan's Story

What do you do when paramedics tell you your child needs to be flown to hospital, but you're terrified heights and have never flown? The answer for one Devon woman was simple. Put your fears to one side and get in the helicopter with him. Heather and her son Ryan live in rural west Devon - an hour's drive from hospital by road. The Devon Air Ambulance delivered him to the door of the Royal Devon and Exeter in 15 minutes.

Michael Chequer caught up with them while Ryan was competing in a swimming gala at Woodacott, near Holsworthy ... Raising money for what's now one of their favourite charities

Barry's Airlift

Michael Chequer has been talking to Barry - one man who knows more than most why the air ambulance matters so much. He was airlifted after an industrial accident near Cullompton a year ago

Ray's Fall

It was one of those 'there but for the grace of God' moments. When retired bus driver Ray from Newton Abbot agreed to take his friend's dog for a walk, he couldn't have imagined what would happen next. Walking in woods just yards from his home, he slipped and fell down a steep embankment, knocking himself out on a fallen tree. Out of sight from the path, he could have lain there for hours or even died if it wasn't for the actions of one passer-by who saw -- or rather heard -- what happened....

Sarah's Story by mum Gaynor

Usually the last the aircrews see of their patient is when they hand over responsibility for them at hospital.
But sometimes people are so grateful for the service they've received they've received that they write to the charity and ask to come and meet the people who helped them.

That's what happened in the case of one teenager and her mum. Sarah was diagnosed with Toxic Shock Syndrome - and medical staff think the speed with which she was taken to hospital could have saved her life.
She and her mum Gaynor went to the Airbase at Eaglescott near Winkleigh to see the helicopter ... And met up with the paramedic who treated her, Paul Shaddick...

Sometimes best efforts just aren't enough

Every year we carry more than fifteen hundred ill and injured patients from all parts of Devon. The treatment they receive from paramedics, and the speed at which they're taken to hospital usually means they can look forward to a good recovery.
But sometimes things don't go so smoothly, and despite the best efforts of the crew the patient can't be saved as BBC Radio Devon reporter Michael Chequer discovered...

Attending a stroke patient

If you have a stroke and get it treated quickly, your chances of making a full recovery are enormously increased.
It's one of the areas in which the the Devon Air Ambulance can make a huge difference to the future life of its patients.

So when a 999 call came through to the helicopter's North Devon base near Winkleigh, paramedics Mark Langley and Paul Shaddick were in the air within seconds on their way to a rural west Devon village - and BBC Radio Devon's Michael Chequer was with them....

Over the border

Between them the two helicopter have flown more than sixteen and a half thousand missions.  BBC Radio Devon's Michael Chequer was with the North Devon helicopter when the team were scrambled over the border to Cornwall...

Merryn and Dad take a tumble

One Devon family had more reason than most to celebrate Christmas 2010.   Christine and David Phillips' new baby daughter Merryn was just a few days old when they went out for a family outing in the Autumn. An outing that ended with her being rushed to hospital in the Devon Air Ambulance...

Toby falls through door

Rosie and her son Toby live near Tiverton. Toby and his sister Daisy were getting ready for school the following day when he pushed open a glazed door - only for the glass to shatter...

Juliette falls from horse

Did you know an average mission for the Devon Air Ambulance costs £3,300? It's a lot of money, but sometimes the helicopter can make a huge difference.
Juliette Huckstep was airlifted to safety after a riding accident not far from her home in West Devon ...

Sarah Burden's Story

Normal Wellard's Story

Chrissie Peel's Story